Aging starts in the late thirties and
patients may complain of eye bags as a result of degeneration. Find out how you
can combat them.
Q1: I am a working mother of a primary school
child, and am in my late 30s. In the past couple of years I've been getting
severe eyebags and dark eye rings. Sleeping more does not help. Now the panda
eyes and bags seem permanent. They look so bad that I have had friends asking
me if I am a victim of domestic violence. I try to cover up the dark eye rings
with make-up, but I don't have time to do this every day.
What causes these dark eye rings and eyebags?
What can I do to reduce them? I have a problem with dry eyes and need eye drops
constantly - could this be linked?
A: The
skin in the eye area is delicate and prone to exhibit signs of aging . Aging
starts in the late thirties and patients may complain of eye bags as a result
of degeneration. To prevent premature aging, always avoid UV radiation by
applying sunblock liberally.
At
night use a moisturiser that is formulated for the eye area to keep it hydrated
and prevent wrinkles from forming prematurely. Creams that contain retinol will
help to reduce fine wrinkles . Tretinoin also helps to stimulate collagen
formation. Avoid aggravating factors like pollution/smoking and stress .
Haemorrhoid creams may help reduce puffiness of the eye. Cold compresses may
also help to a limited extent
Normal
saline eye drops used to treat dry eyes may cause eye swelling by osmosis.
Reduce usage of normal saline drops to prevent excessive swelling of the eye
bags.
Other
factors you may consider include:
- Any
skin irritation due to rubbing or make-up may also cause the eye area to swell
aggravating/mimicking the eye bag. Always be gentle when handling the eye area
-
Conditions like sinusitis and allergies may also cause the eye area to swell.
Treatment with antihistamines may improve eye swelling
-
Sleeping positions such as lying on the side may cause fluid retention and
accompanying swelling of the eye area. Sleeping supine may help drainage and
reduce eye swelling.
-
Alcohol dehydrates the skin and makes the delicate eye area more prone to
damage. Reducing night caps may help.
-
Underlying medical conditions such as thyroid and kidney problem may cause eye
swelling. A doctor will have to treat the underlying medical condition
Mild to
moderate skin laxity may be addressed by radiofrequency devices such as the
Antilax machine.
Sometimes
eye bags are really hollowing of the tear trough resulting in "bags".
In such instance the doctor may select a filler such as restylane vitale or
Juvaderm ultra to fill up the troughs. Filler also lessons any shadowing or
"darkening" of the eye area.
Severe
eye bags need to be surgically removed.
Eye
bags may be accompanied by dark eye circles. Asian skin may also have inherited
pigmentary issues like dark eye circles . Occasionally, the hollowing of the
orbits due to aging may cause shadowing of the the eye area giving the
impression of dark eye circles.
Depigmenting
creams that contain hydroquinone or arbutin may lighten the skin. Sun avoidance
is important to prevent further darkening. Always use a sunblock in that area.
Chemical
peels done carefully may lighten the eye are. Procedures such as intense pulsed
light (IPL) may rejuvenate the skin and lighten the skin.
Creams
that contain caffeine may help to constrict the underlying blood vessels and
help improve the appearance of dark eye circle. Aging results in thinning of
skin and hence blood vessel may be more obvious.
Answer
provided by Dr Yeak Hwee Lee, Medical Director, Singapore Aesthetic Centre, a
subsidiary of Singapore Medical Group.
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